ABC

It’s not time to worry about little watched critical darlings Happy Endings and Don’t Trust the B---- in Apartment 23… yet.

“We love those two shows. They're incredibly distinctive and they’re water cooler shows,” ABC Network Groups president Paul Lee told a roomful of reporters gathered for the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour Thursday, noting that he plans to continue supporting the series throughout the season. He stopped short of commenting on whether either show will live beyond this season --a highly unlikely reality for Apt. 23, in particular-- noting that no decisions have been made yet.

PHOTOS: Overheard at TCA: Sound Bites From TV's Winter Press Tour

Thus far this season, the comedy pairing has gotten crushed not only by schedule interruptions --both from the election and Hurricane Sandy-- but also by intense competition from comedy blocks at Fox and The Voice-boosted NBC. Apt. 23 and Endings have averaged a hardly impressive 1.2 day-of rating and a steady-but-small 1.4 rating, respectively, in the key 18-49 demo on Tuesdays this fall.

More recently, the network has started airing additional episodes of both shows on Sundays at comedy-unfriendly 10 p.m. to burn off those that remain before Dancing with the Stars takes over the Tuesday time period. Though they're off to a rocky start --in their recent Sunday airing, the half-hours fell to a more anemic 0.9 and 1.0 rating in the new, under-promoted slot-- Lee suggests the scheduling move is a "cable play," which could help bring new viewers in.

Lee then singled out Happy Endings, which consistently has performed better than Apt. 23: "We just wanted to say to our audiences: 'Have more chance to see this. We love this show," he said, noting that he recognizes that Endings has to stand on its own and that he is confident that the series can.

Lee's rival Kevin Reilly, entertainment chairman at Fox, was far more vocal about his disappointment with the fall's comedy struggles, acknowledging the dismal performance of his offerings: New Girl, The Mindy Project, Ben and Kate and Raising Hope. "Our shows weren't rejected, they were never really sampled," Reilly said Tuesday, noting that comedy is a genre that requires the kind of patience that the broadcast business no longer allows.

ABC

It’s not time to worry about little watched critical darlings Happy Endings and Don’t Trust the B---- in Apartment 23… yet.

“We love those two shows. They're incredibly distinctive and they’re water cooler shows,” ABC Network Groups president Paul Lee told a roomful of reporters gathered for the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour Thursday, noting that he plans to continue supporting the series throughout the season. He stopped short of commenting on whether either show will live beyond this season --a highly unlikely reality for Apt. 23, in particular-- noting that no decisions have been made yet.

PHOTOS: Overheard at TCA: Sound Bites From TV's Winter Press Tour

Thus far this season, the comedy pairing has gotten crushed not only by schedule interruptions --both from the election and Hurricane Sandy-- but also by intense competition from comedy blocks at Fox and The Voice-boosted NBC. Apt. 23 and Endings have averaged a hardly impressive 1.2 day-of rating and a steady-but-small 1.4 rating, respectively, in the key 18-49 demo on Tuesdays this fall.

More recently, the network has started airing additional episodes of both shows on Sundays at comedy-unfriendly 10 p.m. to burn off those that remain before Dancing with the Stars takes over the Tuesday time period. Though they're off to a rocky start --in their recent Sunday airing, the half-hours fell to a more anemic 0.9 and 1.0 rating in the new, under-promoted slot-- Lee suggests the scheduling move is a "cable play," which could help bring new viewers in.

Lee then singled out Happy Endings, which consistently has performed better than Apt. 23: "We just wanted to say to our audiences: 'Have more chance to see this. We love this show," he said, noting that he recognizes that Endings has to stand on its own and that he is confident that the series can.

Lee's rival Kevin Reilly, entertainment chairman at Fox, was far more vocal about his disappointment with the fall's comedy struggles, acknowledging the dismal performance of his offerings: New Girl, The Mindy Project, Ben and Kate and Raising Hope. "Our shows weren't rejected, they were never really sampled," Reilly said Tuesday, noting that comedy is a genre that requires the kind of patience that the broadcast business no longer allows.